- 0x0201 job start operation
- 0x0202 job attribute setting operation
- 0x0204 PDL data transmission operation
- 0x0205 job end operation
- 0x0301 job control operation
- 0x090a information acquisition operation
- “0x” means a hexadecimal number.

In thepacket header1701 of a block corresponding to the “print job header”, the operation code takes the value “0201” of the job start operation. In thepacket header1701 of a block corresponding to the “paper selection method”, “paper selection mode”, or “paper type information”, the operation code takes the value “0202” of the job attribute setting operation.

In thepacket header1701 of a block corresponding to the “rendering data (PDL)”, the operation code takes the value “0204” of the PDL data transmission operation. In thepacket header1701 of a block corresponding to the “print job termination”, the operation code takes the value “0205” of the job end setting operation.

The job control operation is added to the packet header of a job control command to be transmitted from thePC11 to the image input/output apparatus1000 in job control. The operation code takes the value “0301” of the job control operation. The job control operation is used when controlling to, for example, delete, suspend, or change in order a print job received in the image input/output apparatus1000.

The information acquisition operation is added to the packet header of a request command issued from theDC module605 of thePC11 to the image input/output apparatus1000 to acquire device information. The operation code takes the value “090a” of the information acquisition operation.

A block number of the 2nd and 3rd bytes is used to make a request and reply correspond to each other when the job packet transmitting side requests a reply. For example, when thePC11 successively transmits job packets of the block number=1 to 3 and the image input/output apparatus1000 sends back an error packet of the block number=2 as a reply, thePC11 can specify that an error has occurred in the job packet of the block number=2.

A parameter length of the 4th and 5th bytes is an area representing the byte length of a data field from the 12th byte, and can represent 0 to 64 kbytes. The parameter length changes depending on an attribute represented by the packet header.

The 6th and 7th bytes provide an area representing various flags of a job packet, and the flags take the following values.

Error flag: When the value is “1”, this means that an error has occurred in the image input/output apparatus1000. The error flag is added to a reply packet transmitted from the image input/output apparatus1000 to thePC11.

Notification flag: When the value is “1”, this means that the packet is not a request packet from thePC11 but the image input/output apparatus1000 notifies thePC11 of any notification matter.

Continuation flag: When the value is “1”, this means that not all data can be fit in thedata area1702 and the overflowing data are transmitted by the next job packet. The next job packet needs to have the same operation code as that of the preceding packet.

Reply request/reply transmission: “1” is set when thePC11 requires a reply packet from the image input/output apparatus1000. When the value is “0”, no reply is transmitted in response to a request packet as long as the job is normally processed. When an error occurs in the image input/output apparatus1000, a reply packet in which the error flag is set to “1” is always transmitted regardless of the value (0 or 1) represented by the reply request.

The 8th and 9th bytes represent a user ID, and the 10th and 11th bytes represent a password. The user ID and password are used for authentication in order to impose a restriction on operations executable by the request packet in terms of security.

The 12th and subsequent bytes provide a data field (attribute value and PDL) corresponding to the operation code. No data exists for the job start operation and job end operation.

For the job attribute setting operation, the job attribute ID and job attribute value are set in the data field. The job attribute ID is an identifier corresponding to an attribute (job attribute) associated with a job, or an environment. An ID which is defined by ISO-10175 (DPA) (ISO: International Organization for Standardization) and corresponds to a job attribute is assigned in advance.

Typical job attributes and job attributes regarding information related to the present invention will be listed:

- Job attribute ID
  - 0x0101 job name
  - 0x0103 job owner name
  - 0x016a job size
  - 0x0a01 paper selection method
  - 0x0a03 paper selection mode
  - 0x0a05 paper type information

When paper type information of the job attribute ID “0a05” is designated, definedType 1 values (e.g., plain paper “0”, thick paper “1”, glossy paper “2”, and OHP “4) corresponding to various paper types can be set as job attribute values in the data field. In the present invention,Type 2 values (paper type information ID+paper type ID) defined by the user for a printer can be further set.

For the PDL data transmission operation, PDL data is set in the data field. Data of one job packet can be stored up to 64 kbytes which is a maximum size storable in the above-mentioned parameter length. Data over 64 kbytes is divided into a plurality of PDL data transmission operations and transmitted. In this case, “1” is set in the above-mentioned continuation flag.

For the operation to acquire information generated by theDC module605, the image input/output apparatus1000 adds a job attribute ID corresponding to information to be acquired. For example, to acquire paper type information, the job attribute ID is “0a05” which is the same as the above-described job attribute ID of paper type information.

Assume that the image input/output apparatus1000 receives, from thePC11, a control packet in which the operation code includes the information acquisition operation (“090a”) and the job attribute ID includes paper type information (“0a05”). In this case, the image input/output apparatus1000 sends back the set paper type information as a control packet to theDC module605 of thePC11. The attribute values of the control packet sent back from the image input/output apparatus1000 include paper type information set in the image input/output apparatus1000.

A method of generating each block in a print job by the attributepacket generation module607 orDC module605 will be explained.

The attributepacket generation module607 generates the job packet of a print job in print processing. TheDC module605 generates a control packet in acquiring device information.

When the printer driver603 is activated to start print processing, the attributepacket generation module607 is also activated. The attributepacket generation module607 reads print settings made in the UI window of the printer driver603 from the storage unit (RAM31 or external storage apparatus25) in the DEVMODE structure. Some applications transfer DEVMODE values, so the printer driver603 combines DEVMODE values set in the UI window and DEVMODE values sent from such an application. In general, DEVMODE values received from an application are preferentially used to determine the print settings of a print job.

The attributepacket generation module607 determines whether the paper selection method designated with theradio button1301 in theUI window1300 ofFIG. 13 is the first mode “paper source” or the second mode “paper type”.

If the attributepacket generation module607 determines that the paper selection method is the first mode, the attribute value in the data field of the paper selection method block is “0”. In this case, the PDL generation module606 inserts, into PDL in rendering data, a command which designates a paper source, without generating any paper type information block.

If the attributepacket generation module607 determines that the paper selection method is the second mode, the attribute value in the data field of the paper selection method block is “1”. In this case, the attributepacket generation module607 generates a paper type information block, and inserts, as an attribute value, a value which designates a paper type.

Modules which are configured in the image input/output apparatus1000 to implement control of the image input/output apparatus1000 on the basis of data (acquisition request or print job) transmitted from thePC11 will be explained with reference toFIG. 17.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the module configuration of the image input/output apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Modules implemented in the image input/output apparatus1000 include an I/F driver unit1801, logicalchannel control unit1802,job preprocessor unit1803, deviceinformation acquisition unit1804,reception buffer1805, anddevice DB1806. Further, modules implemented in the image input/output apparatus1000 include aPDL translator1807 andrendering unit1808.

The I/F driver unit1801 controls to receive data input from thePC11 via thenetwork21, and transmit data to thePC11 via thenetwork21.

The logicalchannel control unit1802 receives data from the I/F driver unit1801, and refers to the operation code of the packet of the received data to determine whether the data is a print job or acquisition request control packet. If the logicalchannel control unit1802 determines that the received data is a print job, it transmits the data (print job) to thejob preprocessor unit1803. If the logicalchannel control unit1802 determines that the received data is a control packet, it transmits the data (control packet) to the deviceinformation acquisition unit1804.

Thejob preprocessor unit1803 extracts, from the received print job, only a job attribute packet representing the attribute of the print job. Thejob preprocessor unit1803 outputs the job attribute packet to thedevice DB1806, and outputs the remaining packets representing print data (PDL) to thereception buffer1805. In this fashion, the job attribute can be extracted from a print job before analyzing PDL. In the embodiment, the attribute of a received print job and a designated paper type can be recognized without analyzing PDL.

The deviceinformation acquisition unit1804 determines the contents of the operation code from the received control packet. If the operation code represents the information acquisition operation, the deviceinformation acquisition unit1804 performs processing for acquiring device information held in thedevice DB1806 or a registered job attribute from thejob preprocessor unit1803.

The deviceinformation acquisition unit1804 determines the job attribute ID of the control packet to determine which information is necessary. When the job attribute ID is “0a05”, this means a paper type information acquisition request. The deviceinformation acquisition unit1804 acquires current paper type information held in thedevice DB1806, and sends it back as a control packet to thePC11 via the logicalchannel control unit1802.

ThePDL translator1807 acquires print data spooled in thereception buffer1805 to analyze PDL. Therendering unit1808 executes print processing to rasterize the print data into raster images in accordance with the analysis result and sequentially print them on print sheets.

As described above, according to the embodiment, the image input/output apparatus functioning as a printer allows to register and edit paper type information in it. When registered paper type information is edited, the image input/output apparatus manages pieces of paper type information before and after editing. When the image input/output apparatus receives an image input/output apparatus device information acquisition request from a PC functioning as a host computer, it transmits device information including paper type information.

The PC makes print settings for application data created by an application on the basis of the acquired device information, and saves them in the application. The PC generates a print job for printing the application data by the image input/output apparatus, and transmits it to the image input/output apparatus.

The image input/output apparatus determines whether paper type information designated in the print job received from the PC is different from current paper type information set in the image input/output apparatus. If the image input/output apparatus determines that these pieces of information are different from each other, it determines whether corresponding paper type information exists in a paper type information DB managed as previous paper type information. If the image input/output apparatus determines that corresponding paper type information exists, it executes print processing in accordance with the corresponding paper type information.

Hence, even if paper type information of the image input/output apparatus differs between creation and printing of application data, appropriate print processing can be executed for the application data on the basis of paper type information before changing the paper type information DB.

That is, when printing application data including print settings made based on device information acquired from the image input/output apparatus, the application data can be printed with the same print settings as those used to create the application data.

Note that the present invention can be applied to an apparatus comprising a single device or to system constituted by a plurality of devices.

Furthermore, the invention can be implemented by supplying a software program, which implements the functions of the foregoing embodiments, directly or indirectly to a system or apparatus, reading the supplied program code with a computer of the system or apparatus, and then executing the program code. In this case, so long as the system or apparatus has the functions of the program, the mode of implementation need not rely upon a program.

Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the claims of the present invention also cover a computer program for the purpose of implementing the functions of the present invention.

In this case, so long as the system or apparatus has the functions of the program, the program may be executed in any form, such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to an operating system.

Example of storage media that can be used for supplying the program are a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile type memory card, a ROM, and a DVD (DVD-ROM and a DVD-R).

As for the method of supplying the program, a client computer can be connected to a website on the Internet using a browser of the client computer, and the computer program of the present invention or an automatically-installable compressed file of the program can be downloaded to a recording medium such as a hard disk. Further, the program of the present invention can be supplied by dividing the program code constituting the program into a plurality of files and downloading the files from different websites. In other words, a WWW (World Wide Web) server that downloads, to multiple users, the program files that implement the functions of the present invention by computer is also covered by the claims of the present invention.

It is also possible to encrypt and store the program of the present invention on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distribute the storage medium to users, allow users who meet certain requirements to download decryption key information from a website via the Internet, and allow these users to decrypt the encrypted program by using the key information, whereby the program is installed in the user computer.

Besides the cases where the aforementioned functions according to the embodiments are implemented by executing the read program by computer, an operating system or the like running on the computer may perform all or a part of the actual processing so that the functions of the foregoing embodiments can be implemented by this processing.

Furthermore, after the program read from the storage medium is written to a function expansion board inserted into the computer or to a memory provided in a function expansion unit connected to the computer, a CPU or the like mounted on the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs all or a part of the actual processing so that the functions of the foregoing embodiments can be implemented by this processing.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-335060 filed on Dec. 26, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.